Japanese Tales of the Supernatural – from 9th to 21st Centuries

Literature Courses
Hokusai, detail of a bestiary drawing showing a ''yūrei'' (ghost).

Japanese Tales of the Supernatural – from 9th to 21st Centuries

Instructor: 
John Wallace
When: 
March 30, 2014
Time: 
10:15 am – 12:15 pm
Place: 
Education Studios
Fee: 
This class is sold out. Please call the office to be put on the wait list. 415-581-3701

3 Sundays, March 30, April 13, April 27

Although “ghost stories” as a genre might not have officially existed in Japan until the Edo Period (1603-1868), tales of the supernatural have long been an important component of Japanese literature and a rich inspiration of the visual arts. We will read frightening and horrible tales from a wide range of sources in the Japanese literary tradition. Some were meant as cautionary tales, others simply provide pleasure of the scare, still others explore dark corridors of the human spirit. While stories are short, for some their effect may not fade quickly. No formal text; selections drawn from a wide variety of sources will be provided.

John Wallace is a lecturer in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, UC Berkeley. He received his PhD from Stanford University and has taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Stanford University. He has taught several literature courses for the SAA previously.

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